I have been thoroughly enjoying the Chinese firedrill, Keystone Kop, routine by the minority Republicans. It's been a real gas. I predicted long ago that the one good and positive accomplishment of George and Dick would be the total destruction of the Republican Party.

Ya' know how employees will chatter away about the boss when the boss isn't around? Those chattering employees are oh-so-sure that they know more than the boss and are happy to explain to fellow workers, whenever the boss is out of earshot, how they would do things differently and how the boss is clueless and so forth. A common dynamic.

Last night's hour long Obama press conference was like a situation where behind-the-boss's-back chatter was captured and presented in question form in front of the boss. "Reporters", like the AP's Jennifer Loven, NBC's Chuck Todd and Chip Reid, ABC's Jake Tapper, Fox's Major Garrett and CNN's cocky ass, Ed Henry......all critics of Obama's administration....found out last night that the boss is the boss for a reason.

I have been mildly amused over all the conservative criticism of President Obama about how he has wilfully and cynically violated his own new lobbying rules. (See Sunday's AP piece entitled, "President learning campaign and reality can clash.") Same old, same old, they say. As any honest critic will agree, it's the trend of the person, not the isolated incident, that justifies the severest criticism.....but whatever....

The United States is a place where silly, medieval, religious beliefs don't determine our laws. We're free from the unenlightened nonsense often witnessed in backward countries like, say, Iran, whose silly embarassment of a government includes an "Office for Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice." Can you imagine? And who could forget the barbarian government in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan which sported their own, "Office for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prohibition of Vice?"

I like CNBC's Mark Haines, anchor of "Squawkbox". I used to watch these guys every day, and Haines was a seemingly fairminded, knowledgable, and likable guy. Watch this 1:30 segment where Mark Haines and Democratic representative, Brad Sherman(D-CA), duel over taxing AIG bonus babies...

David Brooks has a reputation for being the New York Times "intellectual" conservative writer. I'm not sure why that is, really. The intellectual reputation, that is. Perhaps because the group of "intellectual" conservative writers is such a tiny one.

As I see it, America, the nation of 300 million, is being held hostage.

It is as if specific and powerful interests have kidnapped the population, placed knives against our collective throats, and then have continually sent ranson notes warning that the kidnappers will slit those throats if the proper authorities do not do exactly as the kidnappers demand.

Remember Mr. Ken Starr? Great guy...Mr. Starr. Such a good and righteous, god-fearing man....Mr. Starr. A dedicated Christian man...Mr. Starr. The kind of man who wouldn't say, sh*t, if he had a mouthful. Like I said, a good man.

So righteous a man, Mr Starr, that he wrote his own national pornographic account in concluding the Lewinsky circus. A detailed pornographic account of the world-and-nation-threatening event of a very willing Monica Lewinsky fellating a more-than-willing-to-be-fellated Bill Clinton. Mr. Starr saved the nation by exposing all the graphic details that make up consensual, you know, sex.

Ten years ago, I watched CNBC quite often. All those charts and numbers and analysts and financial experts....wow, what a bunch of cerebral genuises (new band name?). Rick Santelli, before he became the financial sector's Joe the Plumber, would give the bond market report each morning. The scene behind him was always a clusterf*ck of shouting and arm waving and mounds of order paper on the floor....you know....serious stuff. Why so serious? Because the CNBC guys were hardened, seasoned, hihgly trained, financial professionals, their guests, larger-than-life giant genuises....they knew so much about what they were talking about.

Just what does it mean when radio host Rush Limbaugh, and now many others, say they hope Obama fails? What does that mean? And what would it look like, if indeed, Obama failed? Is "hoping for Obama failure" the same as hoping for American failure? And if it is....is it treasonous to root openly for America's failure?